and random targets

Taking Turns Riding Shotgun

Last night, I heard a song with the phrase, “Taking turns riding shotgun.” (It was a country song). It struck a chord in me. I plagiarized it as part of my love note to my wife on her Valentine card this morning.

Romance is wonderful. It is fun. It feels good. People love feeling loved. Infatuation is exciting. But romance alone is not enough to sustain a marriage.

I married a pretty lady from Texas. I call her my hot trophy wife because she looks like the beauty queen she once was. It was easy to fall for her. But calling her a trophy wife is shallow of me. Sugar is anything but shallow. She is a force to be reckoned with.

I like to think that I am tough. I like the role of being a protector. I have seen too many Western movies. In the West, we use phrases like “I’ve got your back.” That refers to literally watching out for the other person so no one else shoots them from behind, or, symbolically watching out for the other person by being loyal.

Sugar is tough. She does not look very tough, but inside she bravely handles adversity. She overcomes. She is loyal.

On the stagecoaches in the Old West, there was a man sitting next to the driver who was “riding shotgun.” The person riding shotgun could shoot at anyone attacking the stage while the driver concentrated on driving the team. Maybe they took turns.

In marriage, we need to protect each other. We might play different roles and do the protecting in different ways, but each partner “rides shotgun” for the other. Taking turns.